National reaction to Boise State’s 78-65 win over Colorado State

The Boise State men’s basketball team’s 78-65 win over Colorado State on Saturday caught plenty of attention, not only because of the Broncos’ solid win over a team that was one spot out of the AP top 25, but also due to the fact that the Broncos are one of the few NCAA tournament bubble teams playing well over the last few weeks.

Here is some national perspective on Boise State’s win. You also can click on the images to enlarge them.

From ESPN’s Andy Katz…

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi…

In a blog post, Lunardi wrote “Note to Boise State fans: Don’t worry about the omission. The Broncos’ win against Colorado State tonight was impressive enough to move BSU “above” the Last Four In category.”

SI.com’s Andy Glockner…

USA Today’s Patrick Stevens…

Stevens wrote in his Bubble Watch: “No one on the edge of the at-large discussion did more to help themselves Saturday than the Broncos, who handled Colorado State 78-65. Boise State (20-8) has regular-season games against UNLV and San Diego State still to come and is now 7-6 against the top 100.”

Forty-two of the 96 brackets on the Bracket Project have the Broncos in the field, with an average of a 12-seed. Many brackets have not been updated since Saturday’s game, so that 42 should increase.

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Anthony Drmic had 15 points Saturday, ending his three-game streak of 20-plus points, but it kept him as the leading scorer in Mountain West play. He’s scoring 18.3 points per game in league play, with 15 more points than anyone else with two games remaining.

Drmic also led the Broncos with six rebounds Saturday, as Boise State became just the second team this season to outrebound Colorado State. The Broncos had 31 rebounds to the Rams’ 30. The Broncos’ four starting guards combined for 19 rebounds. By double-teaming the Rams’ top rebounders in Colton Iverson and Pierce Hornung, the Broncos tried to win the battle of the boards not by sheer strength, but by outnumbering the Rams.

“Team rebounding … we just had to force them out and get our guards flying in and getting those rebounds,” Drmic said.

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The Broncos have a quick turnaround with Tuesday’s road contest at UNLV up next. The Rebels are 6-0 at home in league games and 16-1 overall at the Thomas & Mack Center. Both the Rebels and the Broncos are riding four-game winning streaks.